Three men from Laplace, Louisiana, have pleaded guilty to federal charges of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle following the pleas entered before United States District Judge Darrel James Papillion.
The defendants, Andres Cruz Garcia, 33, Dariel Hernandez Garcia, 33, and Ricardo Jimenez Ramos, 58, each face a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison and could receive up to life imprisonment. Additional penalties include fines up to $10 million, at least five years of supervised release after imprisonment, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee per count.
Court documents indicate that on September 10, 2023, deputies from the St. John the Baptist Sheriff’s Office seized 69 kilograms of cocaine from the residence of co-conspirator Edel Freyre-Soto in Laplace. Further investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and local deputies revealed that Cruz Garcia, Hernandez Garcia, Jimenez Ramos, and others were involved in large-scale cocaine trafficking using a vessel off the Gulf of Mexico coast. On March 19, 2024, DEA agents seized an additional 85 kilograms of cocaine from another Laplace residence where Hernandez Garcia and Jimenez Ramos were living with co-conspirator Marcos Quintero Otero. The drugs had been smuggled through a marina at Grand Isle with plans for distribution throughout the United States.
Hernandez Garcia and Jimenez Ramos are scheduled for sentencing on June 2, 2026; Cruz Garcia will be sentenced on June 9, 2026.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative created by Executive Order 14159: Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF coordinates efforts among various agencies—including the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), DEA, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives—to address crimes committed by criminal cartels and transnational organizations within U.S. borders. Special emphasis is placed on investigating crimes involving children and removing violent criminal aliens from the country.
U.S. Attorney Courcelle stated: "The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Sarver, now serving with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lynn Schiffman, of the Narcotics Unit for the Eastern District of Louisiana." He also praised both DEA agents and St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies for their roles in this investigation.
